‘Assault’ on CS: Employees’ body suspends president for meeting Kejriwal

New Delhi: Amidst an ongoing bureaucrats’ boycott of meetings with Delhi ministers over an alleged assault on the Chief Secretary, an employees’ association on Wednesday suspended its President, who met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with a section of employees.

D.N. Singh was suspended as president of Government of N.C.T Employees Welfare Association in the evening, after he along with a section of employees met Kejriwal at his residence earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, Joint Forum of Delhi Government Employees (JFDGE), which includes IAS, DANICS and DASS cadre officers, said they would continue to not meet ministers and MLAs till Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tender a written public apology for the alleged attack.

Two weeks back, Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash had alleged that he was assaulted by two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs — Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal — in the presence of Kejriwal at the Chief Minister’s residence, where the officer had gone for a meeting. Khan and Jarwal were later arrested and sent to judicial custody.

Following this, the joint forum decided to boycott all meetings with ministers and scores of officers have been holding a five-minute silence every day during the lunch break outside their respective offices across the national capital.

Singh told IANS that he along with some others had met the Chief Minister to end the logjam that has affected governance in the city and added that they would meet ministers.

“I’ve said in the forum’s (JFDGE) meetings also that we should talk to ministers,” Singh said.

On the other hand, the Government of N.C.T Employees Welfare Association said: “The members took note of D.N. Singh’s breach of trust against the interest of the employees by arbitrarily attending meeting with political executives against the decision to support the movement that has been started after the assault on respected Chief Secretary.

“The House has also decided to hold a General House on 23/03/2018 at Delhi Secretariat and till this date, D.N. Singh is suspended from the post of president of the association.”

Sources told IANS that the Wednesday’s meeting between officers and the Chief Minister was coordinated by state Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who had earlier also reached out to employees to end the impasse.

Speaking to officers at his residence, Kejriwal reportedly said: “There’s no truth in the allegation. If I have to get an attack done, I am not stupid to invite (Chief Secretary) at home and do so. Kejriwal can be stubborn but not violent. It is a political conspiracy and will be dealt with on a political platform,” he said.

“What hurt me was that you all got against me. You could have at least asked me once if there was anything true about that allegation. In future if something of this sort happens, please come, listen to my version as well,” he said.

IANS